Bangert: A first semester at Purdue with no snap courses for Daniels

Jun. 22, 2012

Past Purdue president Martin C. Jischke and his wife, Patty, talk with Gov. Mitch Daniels shortly after Daniels was introduced as Purdue's next and 12th president Thursday at Loeb Playhouse. Jischke, of Lafayette, was Purdue's 10th president. / By John Terhune/Journal & Courier

Written by

As the Mitch Daniels-to-Purdue story unfolded in the anonymous source phases earlier this week, the layers were easy to delineate by distance from the epicenter of red bricks in West Lafayette.

The national media on both coasts led with some variation of Mitt Romney scratching him off the list of possible candidates for vice president or Cabinet positions.

A little closer, the Indianapolis media leaned heavily on Daniels as governor — as a personality. Angle: What’s next for a governor who was powerful enough to be heavily recruited to make a Republican run at the White House?

But here at home, things were a lot more parochial. As big as Purdue University is, the think pieces about the state of higher education and witty what-ifs about latent Daniels political ambitions dissolving into a surprising world of academia tend to melt before the 40,000 students and 15,500 faculty and staff who live and breathe the place every day in West Lafayette.

Something Daniels will figure out soon enough, if he hasn’t already, is that Purdue is considerably less about ivory tower as it is about front lines. That’s stuff the rest of the state and nation, infatuated by this storyline, barely cares about. But it makes West Lafayette and Purdue hum.

So Thursday’s announcement, as much as it felt like a day that belonged to Mitch Daniels, was one that belonged every bit as much to Purdue.

Granted, in Daniels, Purdue gets a president with more instant name recognition.

“I think what Gov. Daniels brings is a national, if not global, following,” said Trustee Gary Lehman, who is president of Oerlikon Fairfield in Lafayette.

“Our No. 1 priority was leadership. There’s no questioning Mitch Daniels is an outstanding leader. ... He had all of the right questions (during the interview process). His questions and his vision were well ahead of everyone else: Where should Purdue be going?”

(Page 2 of 3)

Daniels, sporting a black-and-gold tie former Purdue President Martin Jischke gave him seven years ago, admitted at one point Thursday that he didn’t believe he was the right person for the job at first.

As the initial media surge subsides, and while he’s asking, here are a few topics sure to come up — beyond the obvious need to win over faculty.

• State funding: To say that Daniels, with his ins with the Indiana General Assembly, would have a better track for state funding for Purdue is nothing more than wishful thinking. Money is tight. And Indiana, Ball State and every other public university in the state will raise flags at the hint of favoritism. But after issuing budget-minded orders to trim millions at the state’s universities, how Daniels positions Purdue when the next two-year budget is made in 2013 will be fascinating.

• Purdue’s trimester plan: Outgoing President France Córdova spoke Thursday as if her 10-year funding plan — which includes a bold trimester concept that would add heft to a summer session to better use facilities — was still in play. Daniels said he liked the idea. Trimesters might wind up Córdova’s legacy in West Lafayette, but they’ll be Daniels’ job if they happen.

• Traditions: Sounds goofy, but there’s probably no better way to mess with your student body and your alumni than to screw up a good tradition or brand. Just ask Córdova. She presided over a few branding blunders, including the mass booing of the “Makers All” campaign when it was clumsily rolled out a few years ago and a failed Purdue Pete redesign. Daniels can start slowly: A fountain run wouldn’t hurt him. Hamming it up with Purdue Pete at a football game. Maybe even a breakfast club — for context, if nothing else. For the record: He did seem to know the words to “Hail Purdue” when he was introduced Thursday.

(Page 3 of 3)

• Community relations: On Thursday, Daniels talked about off-campus activity in terms of dealing with higher education questions. He’ll find constant demands to deal well with West Lafayette and Lafayette as well. The ongoing Community of Choice project centers on keeping bright, young talent — including fresh Purdue grads — in Greater Lafayette. Daniels should be right in the middle of it now that he’s Purdue’s president.

• Privatization possibilities: So far, that’s been an easy swipe at Daniels, given his efforts to sell state assets for upfront cash. But he really could hit his stride here, working with private industry to sell Purdue. Not selling it out or selling pieces of the university off, but really selling the ways research being done on campus can be fashioned into business plans that work beyond the boundaries of a lab. If Daniels leaves Purdue five years or so from now without upping that game, it will be a disappointment.

• Language and posture: Making connections was a big problem with Córdova, who always seemed uncomfortable in social settings. Daniels, in his time as governor, has been somebody who can mix in. To meet him, even casually, is to know he can handle himself up and down the social ladder. And he’s often the guy most at ease in the crowd, too — from his shirt sleeves to his Harley-Davidson to his preference for staying at homes across the state instead of staying in hotels.

He didn’t exactly commit to a night at Harry’s Chocolate Shop or the Neon Cactus with students. (Yes, he was asked if that might be a priority at some point.) But he said he was willing to “push the envelope” on the dress code and be as informal as the occasion allowed. Make that translate across the university, and Purdue — which insists on “engagement” instead of just talking — could loosen up a bit.

Daniels allowed that he had six months to ramp up, as Purdue leaves the day-to-day things to Provost Tim Sands in the interim. A lot of listening is a good start. Understanding that his big day Thursday was really about Purdue is a better foundation.